Drawing up a connected culture in our art program

When Laura joined Capital One in 2021 as a product manager for Retail Bank, she was looking for ways to connect with her colleagues. Shortly after starting, she found Capital One Arts, which inspires creativity and builds community across the company through arts-based experiences. 

She jumped in—signing up for the Capital One Arts newsletter, participating in virtual events to create watercolors and mixed media and listening to conversations with artists.

“I love seeing my coworkers’ artwork,” Laura said. “Seeing their creativity inspires me, and I’ve met so many amazing folks because of Capital One Arts.”

Innovation. Creativity. Community.

Capital One Arts started as a way to create inspiring spaces for our associates, reflect Capital One’s culture of creativity, inclusion and innovation, and connect us to the communities in which we live and work. The program manages more than 7,700 pieces of art in Capital One's collection, many of which can be seen across our campuses.

“We’re always innovating,” said Anne, director of Capital One Arts. “We’re always finding new ways to reach associates across the company, wherever they live, and bring people together in a new way.”

This work includes fostering intentional spaces for associates to share their passion and talent for art. Exhibitions, classes and the lively Capital One Arts Slack channel allow associates like Izzy, software engineer for our Tech team and a talented painter, to show off their whole selves.

“I think it’s a blessing to be able to share my artwork at my day job and to have such a kind, supportive art community,” Izzy said. “I did not know or expect that when joining Capital One. Art is such a big part of myself, and I feel very understood and seen being able to share that at my day job.”

Izzy’s creations range from smaller pieces to murals stretching larger than 14 feet. She thinks of art and her work as a software engineer as a symbiotic relationship.

“I think it's wonderful that I can do a job I enjoy, which also pays for another thing I enjoy,” Izzy said.

Claudia, a translations manager for Capital One Card, experienced how Capital One Arts emphasizes belonging and creativity first hand. She’s an active member of HOLA, our Business Resource Group for Hispanic associates and allies. She worked with Capital One Arts to host a virtual art event celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.

“It was amazing to share the richness of artists’ experience as well as how associates brought their own passions and experiences to the call,'' Claudia said. “Art is all around us, and in this particular event, we saw how the art around us influences our work.”

Like Izzy, Claudia also shares her work on the Capital One Arts Slack channel. She says that engaging in the Slack channel helped rekindle her love of painting. Even though she won awards for her art as a child, Claudia says she never thought of herself as an artist. She now shares her work on Slack and draws inspiration from a speaker at a Capital One Arts event who said, “There are no mistakes in art. It just is. It evolves and changes.”

“Sharing my work with coworkers, and vice versa, brings diversity to the creation and appreciation of art because we learn to admire different perspectives,” Claudia said. “This is an environment where all opinions are welcome.”